Universal ratchet stepless-acting wrench

ABSTRACT

An universal ratchet stepless-acting wrench comprises a flat carrier and a lever arm projecting from it. The arm is rigidly connected to at least one part of the carrier and the latter is subdivided into one middle main part and two outer cover plates on opposite sides of the middle main part and attached to it. A rotary body lies in central openings of the middle main part and the outer cover plates of the carrier. The carrier includes wedge-shaped recesses in the middle main part opposite the smoothed surface of the rotary body. There are outer straight abutment faces and locking and guiding rotary elements in the wedge-shaped recesses, while locking and guiding rotary elements in the wedge-shaped recesses are in freewheeling interengagement with the smoothed surface of the rotary body. Springs disposed in the wedge-shaped recesses are adapted to press the locking and guiding rotary elements into the narrowing portions of the wedgeshaped recesses.

United States Patent m1 3,590,667

[72] Inventor Adolf 0. Berglein 1,644,079 l0/l927 ONeill 8l/59.l

laenrall'l'ube 19 3000 Hannover Munich Primary Examiner-James L. Jones` .lri [211 Appl. No. 707,120 [22] Filed Feb- 21 1968 ABSTRACT: An universal ratchet stepless-acting wrench [451 Patented July 6 1971 comprises a flat carrier and a lever arm projecting from it. The arm is rigidly connected to at least one part of the carrier and the latter is subdivided into one middle main part and two outer cover plates on opposite sides of the middle main part (54] RATCHET STEPLESs-ACTING and attached to it. A rotary body lies in central openings of the 2 Claims 7 Drawing Figs. middle main part and the outer cover plates of the carrier. The carrier includes wedgeshaped recesses in the middle main [52] Us. Cl s t 81/59.1 pan Opposite [he smoothed Surface 0f the rotary There [5l] [UL Cl B25b 13/00 are outer straight abutment faces and locking and guiding ro- 0f Search 8 tary elements in the wedgeshaped recesses, locking and uidin rotary elements in the wedge-shaped recesses are in [56] 'References cned igreewhgeeling interengagement with the smoothed surface of UNITED STATES PATENTS the rotary body. Springs disposed in. the wedge-shaped 1,905,388 4/1933 Lamb 8l/59.l recesses are adapted to press the locking and guiding rotary 1,544,621 7/ 1925 Widmann til/59.1 elements into the narrowing portions of the wedge-shaped 2,430,544 ll/l947 Walker fil/3,8 recesses.

PATENTE() JUL" 6192; l

snm 1 UF 2 UNIVERSAL RATCI'IET STEPLESS-ACTING WRENCH The invention relates to an universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench, comprising a flat carrier, a lever arm projecting therefrom and rigidly connected therewith.

Known ratchet wrenches have the disadvantage that they can only act in steps, in modern machines there is very small space for employing stepwise-acting ratchet wrenches and causes many difficulties and a relatively longworking time for fastening or loosening screws or screwnuts and needs high skillness.

Hitherto trails for construction of a universal ratchet stepless-acting wrench had the difficulty to allow not so hightorque forces in use as it is possible with stepwise-acting link ratchet wrenches. It is the object of the invention, to improve the known stepless-acting wrenches of this type and to provide an universal ratchet stepless-acting wrench, which is as simple as possible in structure, which may be produced easily and at low costs and which is able to transfer large torque forces as useable with the known stepwise-acting ratchet wrenches, that the wrench according to the invention may be used for all the same purposes as hitherto known ratchet stepless-acting wrenches are used, but with the advantages of stepless-acting and greater movability in several planes to use this wrench in cases, in which very small space for operation of the wrench is possible. A further object of the present invention is the provision of a wrench in which a plurality of locking and guiding elements distributed over the circumference of the rotary body are acting for transfering high torque forces from the hand lever and the carrier rigidly connected therewith to the rotary body quite uniformly at all engaging points, so that overloading of a single locking and guiding element of a single portion of the carrier, in which said locking and guiding elements are disposed, is avoided.

According to this invention a universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench of the above-mentioned type comprises a carrier which is subdivided into at least one middle main part rigidly connected with said lever arm, and two outer cover plates on opposite sides of said middle main part and attached thereto, a central opening in each of said cover plates and said middle main part, a rotary body disposed and guided in said central openings and having end flanges a plurality of wedgeshaped recesses in said middle main part of said carrier opposite the circumferential surface of said rotary body, outer straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses, locking and guiding rotary elements in said wedge-shaped recesses in freewheeling interengagement with said rotary body between said straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses, springs disposed within said wedgeshaped recesses adapted to press said locking and guiding rotary elements into said narrowing portion of said wedge shaped recesses.

For better central guiding of said rotary body in said carrier it is advisable to provide a plurality of additional cylindrical bearing recesses in said middle main part of said carrier opposite said spherical surface of said rotary body, and a plurality of additional cylindrical centering elements rotatably disposed in said additional cylindrical bearing recesses of said middle main part in interengaging contact with said rotary body.

Further details and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description in conjunction with the enclosed drawings for further disclosure. In the drawings some embodiments of the present invention are shown schematically.

The FIG. l and 2 show a front and a side view ofan embodiment of a wrench having a ball-shaped rotary body and a lever arm;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a wrench head having a rotary body with cylindrically shaped extensions on its front sides;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are front views of two other embodiments of the wrench head without the front covering plate;

FIG. 6 shows a side view partially in vertical section of a further embodiment of the wrench having a one-piece manual lever arm;

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the locking and/or guiding elements in its circumference to the spheric circumference of the rotary body together with a supporting plate for said locking element, in perspective view.

In FIGS. l and 2 the middle part is designed with l, whereas 2 and 3 are the exterior plate-shaped covering parts of carrier 4 forming a spherical cavity for bearing a preferably ballshaped rotary body 5 in such a manner that it can turn and swivel in several planes.

This can be attained by fitting the spherical cavity to the ball-shaped exterior of the rotary body or by providing the parts l, 2, 3 of the carrier 4 with holes in staggered relation corresponding with the diameter of the opposite parts of the rotary body 5. The ball-shaped rotary body 5 is provided with a quadrangular or square inserting passage 6 for a corresponding transferring member and with outwardly projecting rims 7 of this passage. ln wedge-shaped spaces 8 locking elements l0 preferably in form of small rolls or rollers fitted at their circumferences to the spherical surface ofthe ball-shaped rotary body 5, are disposed which are pressed in one circumferential direction by springs 9 into the narrower part of the wedgeshaped spaces 8. The wedge-shaped spaces 8 and the springsloaded locking elements I0 are distributed over the circumference of the rotary body 5 to come into engagement therewith by line contact for locking purposes in every direction. As locking elements 10 as well may balls be used.

In the embodiment of FIG. l the wedge-shaped spaces 8, opposite the central ball-shaped rotary body 5 have outer abutment surfaces which are inclined to the tangent line of the rotary body 5 in one circumferential direction. Said abutment surfaces 8a have an inclination angle tio the tangent line of the rotary body 5 in one circumferential direction, Said abutment surface 8a have an inclination angle to the tangent line of the rotary body 5 at least 8 to 15. The locking elements l0 are pressed into the narrowing part of the wedge-shaped spaces 8 by springs 9. The middle part 1 of the carrier 4 can be subdivided by continuous steel laminae lla-1e of 1 mm. thickness or of thinner thickness. The outer abutment surfaces 8a of the wedge-shaped spaces 8 for the locking elements 10 may be covered by steel laminae 8b which are fitted with circumference of the-rollers 10. The parts 1, 2, 3 of carrier 4 and lever arm part ll have corresponding circumference and are fixed together by screws 12a in the lever arm part 11 and by screws l2 in the ring-shaped part of carrier 4 surrounding the rotary body 5. Lever arm part 11 of carrier 4 furthermore is covered with a sleeve-shaped handle 13 made of rubber, wood, ebonite or plastics. In the inserting channel 6 furthermore arresting means arrangements, such as cavities 14 for spring loaded arresting balls 15 in transferring or extension members to be inserted in said passages 6 are provided. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the rotary body 5 of the carrierhead 4 is a ball-shaped only in the middle part I7 bearing in the cavity 4a formed by the parts l, 2, 3 of carrier 4 according to the ball-shaped surface of the rotary body 5 or by staggered holes corresponding to the spherical circumferences of the rotary body 5. In certain cases it may be sufficient to provide the intermediate three plates 1 of the carrier 4 with holes of the diameter of the rotary body 5 at the respective points and the outer cover plates 2, 3 or 19, 20 respectively with a smaller diameter according to the diameter of the rotary body 5 at these points. In the embodiments of the carrierhead 4 according to FIG. 4 in the area of the beginning of the lever arm part l1 three adjacent locking elements 10 are disposed with their springs 9 in corresponding wedge-shaped spaces 8 with abutment surface lamellas 8a for said locking elements l0.

The latter extend only over a part of the circumference of the rotary body 5 and are fitted thereto in their shape. The middle part l of carrier 4 together with the locking elements 10 are covered by the outer plate-shaped cover parts 2, 3 according to FIG. 2 or by the carrier parts I9, 20 according to FIG. 6. Spaces 2i are distributed over the remaining part of the circumference of the rotary body in the ring i8 as bearing means for centering elements 22 in ball-shaped form or as rollers and serving as an abutment and centering means for the ball-shaped rotary body 5 being arranged for easy swiveling and rotating in the parts l, 2, 18 of the carrier 4. As shown in FIG. 4 and 5 the ring 18 of carrier 4 engages'with a camlike projection 23 into a corresponding cavity or recess 24 of the outer ring-shaped part l of carrier 4 thereby being secured against rotating movement. Furthermore three screws 25 connect the outer cover plates 19, 20 together with the intermediate parts ll and l@ of carrier 4 being arranged there between. The ring-shaped part 18 of carrier 4 together with the parts 19, 20 of the carrier 4 form a spherical cavity or seat for the rotary body 5. When using lamellas la-le these lamellas as well as the covering plates 2, 3 or i9, 20 respectively can be provided with cylindrical holes corresponding to the respective diameter of the opposite portion of the circumference of the rotary body 5. Furthermore, all of the lamellas la-le can be provided with equal holes corresponding to the largest diameter of the rotary body, whereas the cover plates 2, 3 or 19, 20 respectively have cylindrical holes of smaller diameter corresponding to the diameter of the rotary body 5 at these points.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the embodiment according to FIGS. 4 and 5 having three inner lamelles 26, 27, 28 and the entire lever arm part lll together with the intermediate part l of carrier 4 as a uniform piece. At the point where the lever arm part 11 passes into the carrier 4, approximately circular cover plates 19, 20 are removably connected with the ring part 18 of the intermediate part l of the carrier 4 by screws 25.Ring part 18 surrounding rotary body 5 is fitted into the cylindrical bore of the part l of the carrier d is subdivided in three ring-shaped parts 26, 27, 2@ in order to simplify the production of the wrench and to avoid furthermore a deformation of the ring-shaped part 18 when it is possibly fined or tempered.

The abutment faces 8a of the spaces 8 for the locking elements may be improved in their resistance by inserting plates or blades 8b fitted to the circumference of the spherical rotary body 5 and are of especially hard or fined material over the entire width of ring part 18. The intermediate ring plate 27 may also be uniformly connected with the central part 1 of the carrier 4 for the rotary body 5 by forming the two parts in one piece or by welding them together. Instead of screws i2, llZa, 25 also rivets may be used, or the parts in question may be connected by welding, point-welding or the like.

By subdividing the intermediate part i according to FIG. 2

in sheet steel lamellas la, lc, le with a thickness of l mm. or fless, there is the advantage of a cheaper production by simple f punching out these lamellas and by connecting them with the outer cover parts 2 and 3 by means of screws, rivets,` pointwelding or the like, whereby possibly and additional fining of these lamellas may not be necessary. This subdivision into lamellas may aiso be applied with respect to other embodiments of the present invention.

It is advisable to use the one-piece embodiment of parts 1, 2, 3 of the entire wrench according to FIG. 6 when a large number of wrenches has to produced and when corresponding tools for swaging or swagepressing are available. The provision of the intermediate ring-shaped part 18 or its subdivision into several plates or lamellas simplifies the production by restricting the employment of valuable expensive steel material to this ring-shaped part or the lamellas thereof` respectively.

While some preferred embodiments of the invention are sliown and explained for purpose of disclosure numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of the different parts will be possible to those skilled in the art and which are encompassed within the scopeof the invention and of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

l. A universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench, comprising a flat-shaped carrier, a lever arm laterally projecting therefrom and rigidly connected therewith, said carrier being subdivided into at least one middle main part and two outer cover plates on opposite sides of said middle main part, a central opening in each of said cover plates and said middle main part, a rotary body disposed and guided in said central opening and having end flanges, a plurality of wedge-shaped recesses in said middle main part of said carrier, outer straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses, locking and guiding rotary elements in said wedge-shaped recesses in free wheeling-like interengagement` with said rotary body between said straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses and said rotary body, springs in said wedge-shaped recesses adapted to press said locking and guiding rotary elements into the narrowing portion of said wedgeshaped recesses, a plurality of additional cylindrical bearing recesses in said middle main part of said carrier opposite said spherical surface of said rotary body and a plurality of additional cylindrical centering elements rotatably disposed in said additional bearing recesses of said middle main part in interengaging contact with said spherical surface of said rotary body.

2. A universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench according to claim l, in which said plurality of additional cylindrical bearing recesses with said additional cylindrical centering rotary elements therein and said wedge-shaped recesses with said locking and guiding rotary elements therein are disposed alternately and distributed over the whole circumference of said rotary body. 

1. A universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench, comprising a flat-shaped carrier, a lever arm laterally projecting therefrom and rigidly connected therewith, said carrier being subdivided into at least one middle main part and two outer cover plates on opposite sides of said middle main part, a central opening in each of said cover plates and said middle main part, a rotary body disposed and guided in said central opening and having end flanges, a plurality of wedge-shaped recesses in said middle main part of said carrier, outer straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses, locking and guiding rotary elements in said wedge-shaped recesses in free wheeling-like interengagement with said rotary body between said straight-lined abutment faces in said wedge-shaped recesses and said rotary body, springs in said wedge-shaped recesses adapted to press said locking and guiding rotary elements into the narrowing portion of said wedgeshaped recesses, a plurality of additional cylindrical bearing recesses in said middle main part of said carrier opposite said spherical surface of said rotary body and a plurality of additional cylindrical centering elements rotatably disposed in said additional bearing recesses of said middle main part in interengaging contact with said spherical surface of said rotary body.
 2. A universal ratchet steplessly acting wrench according to claim 1, in which said plurality of additional cylindrical bearing recesses with said additional cylindrical centering rotary elements therein and said wedge-shaped recesses with said locking and guiding rotary elements therein are disposed alternately and distributed over the whole circumference of said rotary body. 